


And Then I Saw Red

by Humanitys_Shortest_Soldier



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: AkaFuri Day, Anxiety, Canon Compliant, First Meetings, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Slow Burn, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-13
Updated: 2020-04-13
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:55:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23635687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Humanitys_Shortest_Soldier/pseuds/Humanitys_Shortest_Soldier
Summary: In a world where you see in black and white until you find your soulmate, Furihata didn't expect to get his colors back until he was in college. So when he follows Kuroko to a surprise meeting with the Generation of Miracles, finding his soulmate is the last thing on his mind. But when the world bursts into color at the same time Akashi Seijuurou arrives, he's sure it's just a coincidence. After all, there's so many people around.It doesn't matter that the first color he saw was red.
Relationships: Akashi Seijuurou/Furihata Kouki
Comments: 19
Kudos: 213





	And Then I Saw Red

**Author's Note:**

> Happy AkaFuri Day! I'm a day late, I know. I ran into a small editing problem, and then yesterday was Easter, and the whole thing got away from me, lol. But here's part one! I actually started writing this, like, three or four years ago? I got stuck and never got around to finishing it, but I decided I wanted to try for this years AkaFuri Day. This was supposed to just be a quick oneshot, but as we know by now, I have no self control. So it'll be a two-shot, lol. I'll have the rest up in a couple of days hopefully. 
> 
> I hope everyone is staying safe out there! Enjoy, and I'll see you guys soon! <3

Furihata stared up at the Generation of Miracles and felt nothing but terror.

The four of them were standing on the steps, their expressions indifferent. They spoke to each other in a way that seemed casual despite the obvious tension that hung in the air. Furihata had never seen anything like it.

He couldn’t make out what they were saying, and for a second, he struggled to remember their names. He hadn’t seen most of them since the Interhigh earlier in the year. 

The really tall one was eating something. Murasakibara, if he remembered right. Midorima looked like he was scoffing at the others, shoving the thick frames up his nose with his middle finger That matched pretty well with his memory of the Shutoku ace. Furihata thought he heard Aomine say something about ‘babysitter’ to Kuroko, but he couldn’t be sure.

Furihata shuffled behind Kuroko a little more, trying his hardest to fade into the background. He wondered if any of them would notice if he turned and ran. 

He was seriously thinking about it. The only thing really keeping him here was Riko’s orders, telling him to follow Kuroko and see what they wanted. He tried to imitate Kuroko, who was standing there calmly while his former teammates bickered at each other. There again, Kuroko was eerily calm about everything.

All at once, the air grew impossibly heavier. Furihata’s stomach sank, his knees trembling. The sound of footsteps came to a halt at the top of the stairs, looking down over the others.

Furihata lifted his gaze, and made eye contact with the only member of the Generation of Miracles that he hadn’t seen yet.

Akashi Seijuurou.

In that exact moment, the world around him burst into color.

Everything was so _bright_.

Furihata blinked, the white-blue sky nearly blinding. Winter sunlight danced in the trees, showing more shades of greens then he ever remembered seeing before he lost his colors as a kid. 

And the hair colors! Yellow, green, two shades of blue, purple, and—

Red. A shocking, vibrant red. And two different colored eyes.

Slowly, the wonder faded, and the terror came back stronger than ever. Fear and shock and downright _awe_ , because if he was seeing colors again, then that meant…

One of the people in front of him was his soulmate. And that couldn’t be possible. Right?

_Right?!_

Suddenly, everyone turned to look at him. Did they know? Which one of them saw the colors too?

Was someone talking?

“I only wish to speak to my former teammates right now,” a voice said. Akashi. It was _Akashi_ talking. His voice sent chills down Furihata’s spine. It was sharp and cold, and carried all the weight of an order. “Sorry, but could you leave?”

Furihata’s knees shook under the weight of the simple words. He wanted nothing more than to leave, but his body wouldn’t respond. Between the overwhelming fear and the complete shock, he was frozen in place.

A hand clamped onto his shoulder, nearly causing him to jump out of his skin. Relief washed over him when he turned and saw who it was. 

“Kagami!” He knew from hearing people talk that Kagami’s hair was some shade of red, but it surprised Furihata just how dark it was. His eyes matched too.

A moment later, and hair color was the last thing on Furihata’s mind. Instead he was focused on the glare of sunlight bouncing off of silver scissor blades, and the bright red of fresh blood on Kagami’s cheek.

  
  
  
  


\-----------------------------------------------

  
  
  


Furihata tried to ignore the whole thing, but it was pretty much impossible with all the new colors around him. Despite that, he managed to play it off for nearly a week before any of his friends noticed. 

“Are you sure you’re okay, dude?” Fukuda asked one afternoon after practice at Maji Burger. The whole team was out to eat, and the three of them were sitting at their own booth.

He blinked himself out of his trance. “Oh, yeah I’m—”

“C’mon Furi, cut the crap!” Kawahara cut in. “You’ve been acting weird all week. Plus you’ve literally been staring at the wall for, like, a solid five minutes now.”

Of course he’d been staring at the wall. The posters and ads stuck all over it were amazingly bright. He swore he kept finding different shades in each one he looked at.

“He’s not staring,” a different voice suddenly added. The three of them jumped half out of their seats before realizing it was just Kuroko.

Fukuda had his hand pressed over his heart. “What do you mean he’s not staring?” he asked Kuroko. “Cause I’m pretty sure I know what staring is.”

Furihata swallowed nervously. Kuroko was looking right at him. _Reading_ him. He was starting to sweat under that intense gaze…

“There’s a difference between looking and staring,” Kuroko explained, still watching him with those pale blue eyes. “Furihata-kun has been looking at everything much more intently than usual. Even normal things that he sees everyday.”

Kawahara and Fukuda exchanged a confused look. Furihata held his breath, praying that they wouldn’t figure it out, _please_ don’t figure it out—

There was a gasp, and suddenly they were both leaning over the table, staring at Furihata with wide eyes.

“You’ve got your colors back!” They both chorused. It was loud enough that the rest of their teammates glanced their way curiously. 

Furihata shrank into his seat. He didn’t even know where to begin trying to explain things.

  
  
  
  


\-----------------------------------------------

  
  
  


“You can’t be serious,” Fukuda groaned in exasperation on their way home. “You found your soulmate and _you don’t know who it is?_ ”

“I _told_ you,” Furihata explained for what felt like the hundredth time. “There were a lot of people around.”

It wasn’t even a lie. He’d been standing in a crowd of people when his colors returned. 

Kawahara skipped in front of him, his arms folded behind his head. He craned his neck to look at Furihata. “I mean yeah, I get that… but you’re telling us there wasn’t _one_ person who stood out from the others?”

“Yeah,” Fukuda agreed. “Are you sure you didn’t make eye contact or something with someone when it happened? Even for a second?”

Furihata shook his head. “Nope,” he said with a wince, hoping his friends wouldn’t notice. “I don’t remember looking at anyone when it happened.”

He ducked his head, his palms sweating a little. 

Because that last part _was_ a lie. 

He did remember looking at someone right before he saw colors. After all, the first color he remembered seeing was red. 

But there was no way he was going to tell his friends _that._ Even knowing that he hadn’t seen colors until Akashi had shown up, he still wasn’t sure that meant Akashi was his soulmate. 

Because if Akashi _was_ his soulmate, why hadn’t he reacted to the colors in any way? 

Furihata could still remember that moment as clear as day. He remembered the colors, and Akashi’s order, telling him to leave. Wouldn’t someone as calm and sophisticated as Akashi still react to the world changing in such a drastic way?

Maybe his soulmate really had been someone stranger walking in the background. He had been pretty focused on Akashi at the moment…

Furihata repressed a shudder. It _had_ to be a stranger. Because there was no way that _Akashi Seijuurou_ was his-

“Man,” Kawahara sighed, interrupting his thoughts. “Even if you don’t know who it is, I’m pretty jealous.” He squinted at the sky. “I wish I had my colors back.”

Fukuda nodded in agreement. “Tell me about it.” He paused for a second before turning to Furihata with a grin. “Hey, Furi, what color is my shirt?”

Furihata blinked. “Uh, green,” he answered hesitantly. “Like… neon green. It kinda hurts my eyes, actually.” He jokingly brought a hand up to shield view.

Kawahara laughed. “What about mine?” he asked confidently. “It can’t be worse than Fukuda’s.”

He bit his lip, fighting back a grin. “Well, uh, actually… yours is kinda… pink.”

“Pink?!” They both screeched in unison.

Furihata burst into a fit of laughter. “It’s _really_ pink,” he managed in between giggles. “Soft, pastel pink.”

“Dude,” Fukuda wheezed, grabbing Kawahara’s shoulder. He had tears in his eyes. “That’s _amazing!_ ”

Only Furihata could see how bright red Kawahara’s face was. He felt a little guilty, but he couldn’t really hide his giggles either.

Kawahara met his eyes. “You’re coming over this weekend and going through my entire closet,” he deadpanned. “I refuse to run into my soulmate while wearing _pastel pink_.” He shuddered in horror.

The three of them laughed as they made their way home. Furihata felt a wave of relief wash over him. His friends knew, and nothing had really changed. 

Maybe this whole thing wasn’t so bad after all.

  
  
  
  


\-----------------------------------------------

  
  
  


The next time Furihata saw Akashi was at the semi finals.

He watched anxiously as Rakuzan and Shutuko lined up on the court. His eyes immediately looked to Akashi, his bright red hair standing out like a sore thumb. 

His stomach flipped nervously for some reason. He didn’t know why he felt so anxious all of a sudden…

Furihata watched intensely as the game began. He’d seen Midorima play before, but this was his first time seeing Akashi on the court. 

At first, things seemed kind of normal. Well, as normal as the Generation of Miracles could be. Midorima’s shots were just as ridiculously impressive as he remembered. Rakuzans’ plays seemed planned out with pinpoint accuracy. 

He expected Akashi to do something mind-blowing, but so far, he seemed pretty tame. He made amazing passes, and all his baskets looked completely effortless. Rakuzan and Shutoku were tied for points at half time, but Akashi looked totally unfazed by it. Furihata swore he almost looked bored. 

That all changed in the second half.

Well, Akashi’s expression didn’t change. His play style, on the other hand, was a completely different story.

Furihata watched in fear and amazement as Akashi totally dominated the court. Member after member of Shutoku fell to their knees at Akashi’s feet. _The Emperor Eye_ , Kuroko had called it. Akashi walked by the fallen players with his head held high, making every basket with more elegance and grace than Furihata would have thought possible.

The whole thing was _terrifying_.

He heard his teammates muttering to themselves, but Furihata couldn’t tear his eyes off of Akashi. He thought of that moment on the stairs, and the sinking feeling in his gut. He thought of the world flooding with color. He remembered seeing red, bright and unmistakable and shocking.

Akashi couldn’t be…

Furihata shook his head, shoving the thought away. Because if Akashi could see colors, there would be some kind of sign, right? Or maybe he would have said something to Kuroko about it? 

_There were so many people around_ , Furihata reminded himself. He was probably freaking himself out over nothing. Again. 

Rakuzan won the game.

If they managed to beat Kaijo, it would mean that they’d be playing against Akashi in the finals. 

_It would be fine_ , Furihata repeated in his head. 

It wasn’t like he would be on the court anyway.

  
  


\-----------------------------------------------

  
  
  


There were two Akashi Seijuurou’s.

Furihata listened to the story with far more intensity than the others as Kuroko told them the story from Teiko. It was weird to hear Akashi described as anything but the scissor-wielding, untouchably perfect emperor that Furihata had seen. 

Apparently, attempting to stab high schoolers in the face wasn’t normal behavior for him, which was a relief to hear. The little Kuroko told them about his home life was pretty sad, hearing about all the pressure that was placed on him to always succeed. Furihata couldn’t wrap his head around the concept of never losing. The idea seemed impossible, but apparently not for Akashi.

Actually, the whole story was pretty sad. Furihata thought about his friends now, and couldn’t imagine anything that would tear them apart in that way. 

It was a world Furihata couldn’t relate to, but he _could_ understand, in a way. He had a hard time juggling his home life, school, and baskeball sometimes, and he was just an average student. And then there was Akashi— student council president, top of his class, captain of the basketball team, and heir to a powerful family. 

So maybe the crazy, stabbing-thing made a little more sense. 

Justified or not, it didn’t make Furihata any less afraid of him. Especially not when he watched Akashi bring Kagami to his knees with nothing more than a touch of his shoulder. 

_“I do not allow anyone to look down on me.”_

Kagami seemed unfazed by it. Or at least, pretty pissed off. He was even more ready for the finals, still confident they would somehow be able to beat Rakuzan. Furihata wanted to win too, but Akashi was so good…

Furihata kept his eyes on Akashi during the warm up, watching him drain basket after basket with barely any effort at all. Kuroko chased a ball across the court, and Akashi stopped to talk to him for a second. 

He didn’t smile at all, Furihata noticed. Did Akashi even know how to smile?

As he held the ball in his hands, still looking at Akashi, Furihata saw him looking into the stands, watching the display screens, and scanning the decorations on the wall. His mismatched eyes flickered over everything, taking it all in.

Maybe he only noticed because he’d been doing the same thing lately. Everything looked so different now, with all the colors…

...could Akashi see them too?

  
  
  
  


\-----------------------------------------

  
  
  


They were going to lose. 

He was full of despair as he watched the scoreboard. They were close, not that far off from taking the lead back. If they were playing anyone but Rakuzan, Furihata might believe they could pull it off. 

Everyone was exhausted, their energy running low. The bench was oddly quiet as they regrouped. Even Riko seemed to be running out of ideas. 

And it was only the second quarter. 

Kagami had already been in and out of the zone, and Kuroko’s misdirection wasn’t working. It seemed like for every secret weapon they had, Rakuzan had one that was even stronger.

Right now, Furihata mainly just felt bad for Kuroko. Akashi had called Mayuzumi ‘the new phantom sixth man’, which seemed like a pretty rude thing to say, if Furihata were being honest. He’d sort of been under the impression that Kuroko and Akashi were still on friendly terms, but now he wasn’t so sure. 

Akashi made yet another perfect pass to Mayuzumi, who passed to Mibuchi for another three pointer. The point gap widened, and morale on the bench fell even lower. 

Riko stood up, and called for time out. There was a murmur amongst the crowd, but everybody ignored it. They had to figure _something_ out.

“Furihata-kun,” Riko said. He blinked, confused. He had no idea why Riko would be calling _him_. She was staring straight ahead, her brows knit in determination. “Start warming up.”

Instantly, he felt the blood drain from his face. She couldn’t be serious, right? It had to be some kind of joke.

“We’re counting on you,” Riko was saying. It was hard to hear, with how hard his blood was pounding in his ears. “The goal is to slow the gameplay down. Nothing fancy, so just play how you usually do.” Her eyes flickered over to him. “Got it?”

Somehow he managed to nod. He forced himself to stand up, which was a feat by itself, considering how hard his knees were knocking together. He pulled his sweatshirt over his head with trembling fingers. 

“You got this, Furi,” someone said. He couldn’t tell who. He was pretty sure he was going to faint at any moment.

The loudspeaker went off, announcing a substitution for Seirin. Was that him? Was he the substitution? 

The others turned to look at him, and he was vaguely aware of their confusion. 

He stepped onto the court, and instantly became aware of the pressure beating down on him. The air felt too heavy, like it was hard to breath all of a sudden. 

Hyuuga patted him on the back. He was giving some kind of motivational speech, but he couldn’t really hear it. But then he said something that shot straight through to his brain. 

“Your mark is Akashi. Try your best, Furi.”

Akashi? He was supposed to mark _Akashi_?

Furihata crossed the court, his body trembling from head to toe. 

He stood before Akashi, barely able to stand. He was still a few feet away from him, and somehow he was even more intimidating the closer he got. The energy around him was overwhelming, like it was zapping all the strength from his limbs. 

His team was counting on him. Riko had put him in for a reason, even if he couldn’t see what it was. No matter how scared he was, he had to try…

Somehow, he managed to lift his gaze to meet Akashi’s. “B-Bring it on!” he stammered, his voice shaking. He wasn’t even sure if Akashi could hear him.

Akashi met his eyes, his expression unfazed. He stared at Furihata, and Furihata stared right back, like prey locked in the gaze of a predator. He felt frozen, trapped in his gaze.

The air around him got heavier. Furihata desperately wanted to look away—

One of his teammates called out to Akashi, and he turned, finally breaking that hypnotizing stare. Furihata staggered half a step before collapsing face-first onto the court.

Izuki helped him back up. Furihata swayed, unsteady on his feet, but he didn’t think he’d fall again, at least. 

Everyone took their marks. Furihata took a deep breath in an attempt to calm his nerves. 

They were all counting on him. 

The whistle blew, and Furihata rushed forward. His legs felt like they were barely holding his weight as he rushed up on Akashi to guard him. He couldn’t be sure, but for a second he thought he saw a flicker of surprise in his eyes.

Akashi stepped back, and then easily passed him on his right. He moved way too fast, and by the time Furihata realized what was happening, Akashi was already gone.. 

But Kagami was right there, blocking Akashi’s path. With that covered, Furihata’s eyes flickered around the court, trying to see what he should do next. 

With Kagami on Akashi, that meant no one was covering Hayama. Furihata quickly took Kagami’s place as his mark. He spread his arms, blocking Hayama, and watched and waited to see how this would play out. 

Akashi and Kagami were facing off. The inside was crowded, and Furihata got the impression that Akashi didn’t have enough room to crossover and pass Kagami. 

Was that what Riko had wanted? For Akashi to easily pass him so Kagami could stop him on the inside?

Furihata thought it might just work, but then Akashi suddenly stepped back, and passed Kagami with ease. God, he was just so fast…

Akashi jumped for a basket, but somehow Kagami was there, his fingertips barely touching the ball. The ball hit the backboard, and it looked like he had managed to actually stop Akashi—

Nebyua jumped, impossibly high and powerful, and shoved the ball through the hoop. 

The silence afterwards was crushing. Rakuzan really was a force to be reckoned with.

The next play started. Kyoshi had the ball, and Nebyua was all over him. Akashi and Kagami were still facing off, so Mayuzmi was guarding Furihata. If he could only find a way to slip by him, maybe he could help.

Almost as though he could read his thoughts, Mayuzumi simply turned away, leaving Furihata completely unguarded. Before Furihata could even begin to wonder what the hell was happening, Kyoshi passed him the ball. 

He caught it on reflex, freezing in place for a fraction of a second. 

They were in the middle of the Winter Cup finals, playing against the best team in Japan. 

Furihata had the ball, with no one between him and the hoop. 

He’d never get a chance like this again. 

Furihata didn’t think. He shut everything off, not letting himself panic. If he panicked he’d miss for sure…

He jumped, and shot the ball. It seemed to move in slow motion as it sailed through the air. It dropped cleanly through the hoop.

Furihata landed, feeling total shock. Holy crap, he’d actually made it…

The cheers from his teammates were deafening. He briefly caught the look of annoyance on Mayuzumi’s face, and he felt a little swell of pride. Mayuzumi had probably left him unguarded because he assumed he was too weak to score. 

It felt good to prove him wrong. 

There was no time to celebrate. The next play was starting, and Akashi had the ball. Furihata rushed into position, feeling his stomach sink again at the proximity. His small sense of accomplishment faded as he stood under Akashi’s piercing gaze. 

He sort of felt like Akashi hadn’t really seen him during the first play. Akashi had passed him without a second glance. But now, it felt like Akashi was really acknowledging his existence for the first time. 

He didn’t look happy. 

Furihata’s heart skipped a strange beat. Akashi’s eyes were hypnotizing, the two different colors so vividly bright. The cat-like pupils gave them an all around eerie feel, and it sent shivers down Furihata’s spine.

Their eyes met for a moment, and Akashi’s narrowed slightly. Suddenly he was dribbling the ball in a strange pattern, left and then right. Furihata shifted his weight to try and block him—

Before he knew what was happening, Furiahta lost his balance and fell backwards, landing on his rear with his palms splayed out behind him. 

He looked up in horror. Akashi stood above him, framed by the ceiling lights, looking impossibly powerful and _ruthless_. He jumped without any hesitation, knowing that no one could stop him. The ball sailed through the hoop with ease. 

Furihata struggled to his feet, vaguely aware of the announcer calling for a timeout. He walked to the bench in a daze. Maybe— maybe if he could just sit down for a minute…

He collapsed at the bench, falling to his knees. His legs were shaking so bad they wouldn’t support him anymore. It felt like every ounce of energy had been drained from his body.

Furihata knew it was because of Akashi. Just standing in front of him under that overwhelming power had been exhausting. 

Akashi Seijuurou truly was impossible…

“Furi!” someone called. Kawahara, maybe? “Are you hurt? What's wrong?”

“N-No, but…” Furihata stammered. He tried to stand up, but his legs still wouldn’t work. “Huh?”

He looked up at his teammates. They all exchanged glances, their expressions full of both surprise and worry. He wanted to reassure them that he was okay, but it was hard to find his voice. 

“Furihata-kun, you’re out.”

He turned his head and saw Riko standing there. Her words echoed in his head. 

_I’m out already?_ he thought with despair. _But_ — _have I even been in for five minutes? You can’t take me out already…_

He tried to stand again, and found he still couldn’t support his weight. Defeated, he hung his head, resting it on the bench in front of him. Above him, he heard Fukuda volunteer to take his place.

The game resumed. Kawarahara, Riko, and Kuroko helped him to his feet. He sat heavily on the bench and accepted the towel that was given to him. He threw it over his head, his hands fisted on his knees. Tears welled in his eyes, and he fought them back.

He had done all he could do. Now, it was up to his teammates to make the most of it. 

He just hoped it would be enough. 

  
  
  


\-------------------------------------

  
  
  


Akashi was falling apart. 

Furihata couldn’t take his eyes off of him. The cheers from the bench were deafening as his team cheered on the duo of Kagami and Kuroko, who had miraculously managed to stop Akashi. 

The effect it had on Akashi was immediate. Suddenly he was missing shots, and his passes were failing, almost like he kept forgetting Kuroko was on the court. His teammates looked shocked, like they were playing with someone they didn’t know. 

Furihata knew he should be happy, and he definitely was. Kagami and Kuroko were incredible, and Hyuuga, Kyoshi, and Izuki were also doing amazing at stopping Rakuzan. But a small part of him also felt sort of bad for Akashi, in a strange way. 

He remembered what Kuroko had said, about how Akashi had never lost before. It must be hard to finally experience it, and in front of a crowd of people, no less. 

Akashi tried to pass again, but Kuroko stole the ball yet again. He passed to Kagami for an alley-oop, closing the point gap even further. 

Only seven points away now. Akashi managed to get the ball to Mibuchi, but the pass was all wrong, and Mibuchi missed his three-pointer. Kagami grabbed the rebound, and they scored again. 

The whistle blew, and Rakuzan called for a time out. Furihata quickly got to work, helping supply water bottles and towels to his teammates. 

He couldn’t help but glance over his shoulder at Rakuzan’s side. Akashi was sitting on the bench with his head down, a towel over his head. His teammates and coach were gathered around him, standing above him with their arms crossed. 

Furihata frowned a little. He wondered what they were saying to him, and quickly decided he probably didn’t want to know. 

He couldn’t imagine the amount of pressure that must be on him right now, and how awful it must feel to crumble beneath it. 

As he watched, Akashi suddenly stood up, the towel falling to the ground. His fists were clenched at his side, his head held high. His teammates looked shocked.

The time out ended, and the game continued. Akashi had the ball, and Furihata noticed that he approached Kagami a little differently than he had been. Even more shocking, he crossed over with ease and managed to get around Kagami. He came face to face with Kuroko, but before he could steal the ball, Akashi made a perfect pass to Mibuchi, who drained a three-pointer. 

It was a complete turnaround from how he’d been playing just a moment ago. Even Akashi’s own teammates seemed confused by it.

Seirin gathered at the sidelines for a moment, hovering around Kuroko. Slowly, word traveled through everyone on the bench.

The original Akashi was back. 

Furihata wasn’t sure what that meant, but everyone seemed worried about it. Kuroko said that Akashi would be even stronger now, which shouldn’t even be possible. Furihata watched, eyes wide, as everyone took their places on the court. 

Akashi had the ball, and once again his passes were incredible, even better than before. He managed to evade both Kagami and Kuroko, and Rakuzan quickly scored. 

The momentum they’d been building was at a halt. Suddenly Rakuzan was unstoppable, and all five of them were playing better than they had the entire game. It didn’t make any sense. Their whole team had been falling apart minutes ago…

Suddenly Riko gasped, her hands balled into fists. 

“They’re in the zone,” she hissed. 

Furihata exchanged confused looks with the others. Finally, Koga asked, “Who, Akashi and Kagami? I thought—”

“All of them,” she interrupted. “All five Rakuzan players are in the zone.”

Stunned silence. “How—how is that possible?” Fukuda asked.

Riko went to explain that they weren’t in the true zone, like Kagami was. But that instead, Akashi’s passes were so perfect that everyone was totally in tune with one another, creating one shared zone.

Rakuzan pulled further ahead. Kagami left the zone as their hopes fell once again. Furihata never felt more helpless then he did now, sitting on the bench knowing there was nothing he could do. 

Even Riko seemed hopeless. Akashi’s plays were amazing, somehow even better than before. Every pass and every shot was made with pinpoint accuracy to the point that it didn’t even seem real. 

This was the true power of Akashi Seijuurou. 

Suddenly, there was a call from the crowd, addressing Kuroko. Furihata didn’t recognize who it was, but it seemed to have an effect on Kuroko. 

Then, all at once, others started cheering and yelling from the stands. Furihata was shocked to see that it was coming from all of Seirin's past opponents from the Generation of Miracles, all cheering in favor of Seirin defeating Rakuzan. 

Both teams took back to the court, and Furihata quickly noticed that everything was different now. Kagami was back in the zone, for one thing, but it was also more than that. 

Everyone was basing their plays around Kagami, and it was working. Furihata didn’t know much about how the zone worked, but it seemed like Kagami was at an even deeper level than before. 

They managed to close the gap a little, but Akashi wasn’t backing down. There was only a few minutes left in the game. Kagami and everyone were playing amazing, but Akashi still seemed completely untouchable.

But then Hyuuga made an incredible four-point play, and suddenly they were only down by one point. 

Only one point stood between them and the championship. Furihata glanced at the clock.

They had less than a minute.

Hyuuga lined up for the free throw. The stadium was silent. Furihata held his breath, hovering on the edge of his seat. 

Hyuuga took his shot. He missed, the ball bouncing back off the rim. Both teams went for the ball. 

Kyoshi got it. 

He passed to Kagami, but Akashi was right there, blocking him. He managed to pass it to Kuroko, who readied himself to take the shot.

Only seconds left. 

With lightning speed, Akashi was there, jumping up and blocking Kuroko. Furihata’s heart sank. This was it…

Kuroko smiled, and instead of shooting, passed the ball around Akashi to Kagami, who was already midair. He caught the ball, and slammed it through the hoop.

The buzzer rang.

They won. 

  
  


\------------------------------------

  
  


The first few minutes after the final buzzer were chaos. 

The stadium erupted in screams from both sides. Furihata and the rest of Seirin rushed onto the court, slapping each other on the backs and hugging and, if he was completely honest, doing a little bit of crying. 

Furihata wasn’t sure how much time had passed before they all calmed down enough to stop yelling.They stood around congratulating one another in small groups, still sort of hanging on to each other. He was in the middle talking to Hyuuga and Izuki when a flash of red caught his eye. 

He turned his head, watching as Akashi crossed the court. He walked right up to Kuroko and offered his hand, much to Furihata’s surprise. Kuroko readily accepted it, clasping Akashi’s hand between his. 

Eventually they lined up to shake hands and exchange thanks. Furihata didn’t mean to keep track of Akashi throughout the whole thing, but his bright red hair kept catching his attention. 

He was watching Akashi talk to the Rakuzan coach when he suddenly turned his head, meeting Furihata’s gaze. Maybe he was crazy, but he thought he saw Akashi frown a little.

Furihata looked away quickly, his face flushing with embarrassment at being caught staring. Thankfully, Seirin was starting to line up for pictures. Once that was done, everyone was able to celebrate with their families for a little. Then after that it was a series of interviews, and so on, until it was late in the day and everyone was starving. 

The whole team and most of their families went out to eat, and Furihata lost himself in the celebration. 

Against all odds, Seirin had won. Furihata had even gotten the chance to play on the court with all of his friends. It was definitely a moment he was sure he’d never forget.

  
  
  


\--------------------------------------

  
  
  


After the Winter Cup, Akashi Seijuurou sort of moved to the back of Furihata’s mind. Or atleast, about as much as a borderline-supernatural basketball player could. 

Furihata got used to having his colors back, for the most part. Sometimes a certain flash of color or a particular shade caught his attention, but he was learning to ignore it. 

He was trying to ignore it, anyway. Because when he thought about it too much, he would always end up thinking about that moment on the stairs, and wondering who his soulmate was supposed to be. 

And always, without a doubt, he would think of Akashi. 

It was stupid, he knew. For one, Furihata was pretty sure Akashi didn’t have his colors back. It seemed like something he would have mentioned to Kuroko, since he would have been there when it happened, but Kuroko never said anything. 

Besides, there was no way Akashi would be his soulmate anyway. They were total opposites, in every conceivable way. Akashi was good looking, ultra talented, and super smart, just to name a few. And Furihata was, well… painfully average at best. 

Which he was fine with, honestly. His soulmate was probably some equally average girl who had passed by in the background. Which sounded perfect to Furihata, exactly what he was looking for.

Now, if only he had a clue who it could be…

  
  
  


\-----------------------------------

  
  
  
  


“What do you think about here?” Furihata asked.

Izuki stood back, eyeing up the decoration Furhata was pinning to the wall. He held his hands up in front of him like he was taking measurements. After a long moment, he gave a thumbs up. “Looks good, Furi!”

Furihata finished up and climbed back down. He stopped, and took a deep breath, smelling the air. Whatever Kagami and Himuro were cooking in the kitchen sure smelled good. 

He heard a chorus of gasps from the other side of the room. He looked, and saw Hyuuga holding up a chain of paper cut into the shape of people. Furihata joined the group, undoubtedly impressed. Kawahara and Fukuda took the paper chain and added it to the wall.

Kagami and Himuro started bringing plates of food out, lining them up along the center of the table. There was a clatter behind him, and Furihata turned his head just in time to Hyuuga and the others crowd around Kagami and Himuro. There was a chorus of screeches, something about a picture of a naked girl in a hot spring.

There was a loud burst of laughter from the couch. Takao from Shutoku was looking over the back of it, a grin stretched on his face. 

Furihata had been surprised when Takao showed up with Himuro. Not that he had a problem with him or anything. But Takao had proven himself to be a really strong player, and that automatically made Furihata feel a little self conscious around him. 

He seemed nice enough, and had been perfectly friendly when he’d introduced himself at the door. His laughter was sort of infectious, and Furihata found himself chuckling along with him at his friends. 

The sun began to set, which meant Kuroko should be here at any moment. Most of the food was brought out, and Furihata helped Fukuda and Kawahara hang the rest of the decorations. 

Furihata was excited. Kuroko knew there was some kind of party going on for him, but he hoped he’d be surprised by just how many of them were here. 

While Kagami was clearly the ace of Seirin, and one of the biggest factors to their victory in the championship. Kuroko was pretty frequently overlooked by the media and other people, but his teammates knew the truth. 

Wherever there’s light, there’s also a shadow. 

The doorbell rang, and everyone turned towards the door expectantly. Furihata eagerly reached for the handle to let him in, since he was the closest. He opened the door, a grin on his face, ready to greet his friend.

“Good evening!” he cheered. He opened his eyes, and his whole body froze. 

Red. That was the very first thing his brain registered. His gaze shifted down from bright red hair to the person’s face, confirming what Furihata already knew.

He was face to face with Akashi Seijuurou.

Fear gripped him like a vice. Not only was Akashi bad enough, but the rest of the Generation of Miracles were gathered behind him, tall and imposing. But Akashi was still the most intimidating of them all. 

"Hello,” Akashi said, and Furihata struggled to hear him over the blood pounding in his ears. “You must be Furihata-kun.”

“A-Akashi?” Furihata stammered, voice shaking. He felt strangely lightheaded all of a sudden. 

Kuroko appeared behind Akashi, but Furihata couldn’t hear what he said. The rainbow spread of colors in front him started blending together, until they were one big mess. He staggered half a step back, his vision swimming. 

He knew this feeling. He needed to sit down before he—

Too late. The world faded to black.

  
  


\-------------------------------

  
  


Furihata came to, aware that he was on something soft. He bolted upright so fast his head spun. 

Kawahara and Fukuda were at the door of the room. They quickly turned when they saw Furihata sitting up, rushing back over. 

“Dude, are you okay?” Kawahara asked. 

“You totally blacked out,” Fukuda added. “What happened?”

Furihata rubbed his head. “I’m not sure,” he admitted, still a little shaky. “I think I just got startled.”

“I can believe it,” Kawahara said. “I would have freaked too, seeing them all right there. I didn’t know they were invited.”

Furihata looked up. “They’re staying?” he asked, his voice full of dread. 

“Well, yeah,” Fukuda said. “Kuroko invited them. They’re all out in the living room.”

Furihata bit back a whimper. Great, now he had to hang out at a party with the Generation of Miracles. 

Including Akashi. 

But all his friends and teammates were here. It shouldn’t be that hard to stay clear of them. He still wanted to celebrate with Kuroko. 

He stood up, and Kawahara and Fukuda made sure he was steady. They told him he’d only been out for a couple of minutes, just long enough for them to carry him to the spare bedroom. He apologized, feeling a little embarrassed. 

“Don’t worry about it.” Kawahara waved his hand dismissively. He glanced at Furihata from the corner of his eye. “Akashi was the one who caught you, you know.”

Furihata tripped over his own feet. “He _what?_ ”

“Well it was that or you were gonna fall on your face,” Fukuda said. “He grabbed you, and then the tall one, Murasakibara, carried you back in. And then we got you in here.”

“Oh.” Furihata wasn’t sure what to make of that. He supposed it was a nice thing for Akashi to do. Or the polite thing at least. The thought of Akashi being so close to him sent a shiver over his skin, and he was sort of glad he was out for it. Who knows how he would have embarrassed himself otherwise.

The three of them left the room. Furihata lifted his head, and his eyes immediately caught the flash of red. 

Akashi was looking at him, and their eyes met for a moment. Furihata looked away quickly, but in the brief second of contact, he could have swore Akashi looked a little sad. 

Furihata frowned a little. He was surprised by the look on Akashi’s face. But there again, the Akashi he met at the door was very different from the one he played on the court. He couldn’t picture _that_ Akashi being upset over something like that. 

Maybe this Akashi really was different. 

Furihata tried to blend in at the party. He stuck to the outskirts, trying to stay grouped with his friends. But the Generation of Miracles were starting to spread out, making it harder to avoid them. 

At one point Kuroko made his way over, and the two of them and Kawahara wound up talking for a bit. Eventually Kagami made his way over, followed by Aomine and Kise. 

Furihata’s eyes widened, and he took a small step back. He was sort of used to being around Kagami, but being so close to two people who were just as tall and intimidating was totally different. 

Thankfully, it wasn’t hard for Furihata to quietly dip out of that conversation. On the downside, it meant that his options for someone else to talk to were limited.

Himuro, Takao, and Midorma were sitting around the table, and that seemed like a pretty safe bet. He sat a few spaces down from Himuro and took out his phone. He saw he had a text from Koga saying him, Riko, and the rest of the seniors were almost there. 

He typed back a quick response, vaguely aware that someone was moving near him. He turned his head, his eyes widening in surprise as Murasakibara’s towering form hovered over him. He took a seat, and Furihata tried not to stare. 

Just then, the doorbell rang again. Furihata didn’t see who answered, but suddenly the others were gathered in the entrance, totally slack-jawed at the unexpected guests. 

There was a flurry of commotion as everyone spread out, trying to find room to sit. Furihata was watching with increasing hilarity when a voice spoke up to his right.

“Pardon me, but is this seat taken?”

Furihata turned his head, and froze, his jaw falling open. Akashi Seijuurou stood beside him, waiting expectantly for an answer. 

His eyes flickered around the table. There were still a few open spaces, so why would Akashi choose to sit _here?_

He must be doing it on purpose, Furihata decided. But after what happened at the door, he should know that wasn’t a good idea. Unless… unless that was the point?

Either way, Akashi was waiting for an answer, and Furihata wasn’t about to deny him. He shook his head, struggling to remember how his mouth worked. “No, it’s n-n-not.”

Akashi took a small step toward him. “May I join you?”

Furihata blinked, and gave a jerky nod. “S-Sure.”

“Thank you,” Akashi said, and Furihata couldn’t help but think how polite he sounded compared to the time he spoke to him on the steps. 

Akashi sat down, and Furihata turned away, lowering his gaze to the table. Against his will, he felt his shoulders creep up towards his ears, shrinking in on himself. He wondered if he should scoot over to give Akashi more room, or if he should just get up and leave altogether. But no, that seemed rude. Maybe he could fake a phone call or something…?

“Are you enjoying the party?” Akashi asked.

Furihata looked at Akashi on reflex, surprised by the question. He hadn’t expected Akashi would attempt conversation with him, and his pulse hammered in his ears at the thought of that daunting task. 

“U-Um,” he swallowed thickly. “Yeah. It’s been, uh… f-fun.”

His ears burned with embarrassment. What kind of stupid answer was that? Of course the party was fun. Wasn’t that the whole point?

He went back to staring at the table. 

Everyone was sitting now, with Kuroko at the head. The room was filled with several different conversations all going on at once. 

“Furihata-kun,” Akashi said, interrupting his thoughts. His head whipped up again at once, his eyes landing on a matching pair of red ones. He quickly looked away, unable to hold that gaze. 

It doesn’t last long, because the next words out of his mouth took Furihata by total surprise. “I believe I owe you an apology.”

Furihata struggled to keep his mouth closed. “You— you what?” he stammered.

“I’d like to apologize,” Akashi repeated. “For my behavior during the finals. I underestimated you when I had no right to do so. And in this instance, I’m happy to say that I was proven wrong.”

His mouth pulls up in a small smile, although his eyes were filled with worry. For a second all Furihata could do was stare, because for one thing, Akashi’s smile was weirdly distracting, and for another, Akashi Seijuurou just apologized for _underestimating_ _him_.

 _Of course you underestimated me_ , Furihata thought. _You’re literally better than anyone else. Of course I didn’t stand a chance against you._

“Oh,” Furihata forced himself to say. “That’s, uh… t-thanks. But y-you don’t have to. Really.” He dropped his eyes, and gave a self deprecating laugh. “I m-mean, it’s not like I really stood a chance anyway.”

“Quite the contrary,” Akashi began. “You played very well. Without your basket, Seirin could have lost.” 

Furihata stared, his eyes wide. This conversation was getting weirder by the second. Was Akashi actually… complimenting him? 

He didn’t know what to say to that, other than to thank him, which he did. Food and drinks were being passed around, and Furihata carefully accepted the cup Akashi offered him. 

Cheers broke out all around. Kuroko was sitting at the head of the table, wearing a smile so big it warred with the one from the finals, after they won. Furihata found himself smiling a little too, at seeing Kuroko so happy. 

“Thank you,” Akashi said suddenly, making Furihata jump a little. He was surprised to see Akashi wearing a genuine smile, one that touched his eyes. “For planning this party. If anyone deserves it, it’s Kuroko.”

“Right?” Furihata agreed easily. Then he ducked his head a little. Maybe making conversation with Akashi wasn’t as hard as he thought. 

Akashi shifted, and when Furihata looked, he had his cup raised. “I hope we get to play again,” he said, with sincerity in his voice. He gave Furihata a tentative smile.

After the initial shock, Furihata found himself returning it. He lifted his cup and bumped it against Akashi’s, his fingers trembling bad enough that he needed to steady it with his other hand. 

“Yeah, d-definitely!” he agreed, a little too loudly. He felt his face burn with embarrassment at the declaration. He figured Akashi was just being polite, but part of him wondered if he might really mean it. 

They kept up a little conversation as they made their way through the meal. Akashi did most of the talking, but Furihata tried to keep up. Mostly he just tried to act normal, since you know, he had literally fainted at the door. 

Somehow they got talking about practice, and Furihata was trying to tell one of the funnier stories about the time Hyuuga and Kawahara had gotten into a heated argument about some comic book they both read, until Riko had to come wack them both over the head.

Akashi chuckled a little. “That does sound amusing,” he said with an easy smile. This Akashi sure did that a lot, Furihata noticed. His eyes did a quick scan around the room. “I’m afraid I didn’t catch his name at the finals. Which one is Kawahara?” he asked.

“Oh,” Furihata said. He found Kawahara sitting a few seats to the left. “He’s the one with the shaved head, with the red shirt on.”

He winced immediately. He didn’t mean to let it slip about the fact that he had his colors back. He bit his lip, hoping Akashi wouldn’t notice. 

Furihata turned to face him. His sheepish smile fell from his face the second he met Akashi’s gaze.

Akashi was staring at him, his eyes blown wide in shock. The expression looked forgein on his face, that it sent chills skittering across Furihata’s skin. His hand was frozen halfway to his mouth.

“It’s you,” Akashi breathed, his voice so low Furihata could hardly hear it. “You can see them, too.”

There was a clatter, and Furihata was vaguely aware that his own chopsticks had slipped from his fingers and back into his bowl. 

_You can see them too,_ Akashi had said. _Too_ , as in…

Akashi could see the colors. 

“The stairs,” Akashi said, but Furihata barely heard him. He sounded far away, like his voice was coming from the other end of a long tunnel. His head spun in sickening circles.

Akashi said something else, but Furihata couldn’t make out what it was. There was a single, panicked thought circling in his head.

 _Akashi Seijuurou is my soulmate_.

His vision began to spin, the room around him blending together into a streaky blur. The last color he registered before the world faded to black was red. 

**Author's Note:**

> I take prompt requests! You can find me on Tumblr [here](http://humanitys-shortest-soldier.tumblr.com/) if you want to send something in!
> 
> And [here](https://twitter.com/HUMANxLAMPSHADE?lang=en) is my twitter for more news on writing updates! I've been posting sneak peeks on future works here!
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! See you guys soon! <33


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